Linux Howtos
Determine If Shell Input is Coming From the Terminal or From a Pipe
Mar 6th
Working on a little script the other day I had the need to determine
if the input to the script was coming from a pipe or from the terminal.
Seems like a simple enough thing to determine but nothing jumped immediately
to mind and a quick internet search didn’t help much either.
After a bit of pondering I came up with two solutions: the stat command
and using information from the proc file system. more>>
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Tech Tip: Fun With Gawk
Mar 6th
HOWTO: Customized Live DVDs with Reconstructor’s Web UI.
Mar 5th
I’ve been taking a Java programming course this semester at the local
technical college, which has been a wonderful learning experience. The
programming course uses the Eclipse 3.5.1 IDE along with the Java
Development Toolkit for programming in Java. In addition to using Eclipse,
I use Dropbox to save the source code and
preferences from my home install of Eclipse, eliminating the need to carry a
USB key or email/transfer the files through any other method. This Dropbox
storage method also ensures that every machine I use has the latest version
of source code files with minimal interaction and fuss on my part. more>>
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Update on Controlling Konsole via DBUS
Mar 5th
Recently I wrote about controlling konsole with dbus.
As I’ve begun to use that script for setting up my konsoles
I, like others, have discovered that the tab title that
you set with dbus doesn’t stick. This short note shows
you a workaround to make your tab titles stay put. more>>
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Working with Graphics Text in OpenOffice.org
Mar 3rd
One of the least understood features of OpenOffice.org is graphics text. People understand vaguely that it differs from regular text, but exactly how it differs or why anyone should care is mostly unknown. However, if you know the distinction, graphics text can work for you in ways that regular text cannot.
more>>
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Custom Toolbar Buttons for Thunderbird
Feb 15th
If you watched the video and wondered what the JavaScript code
was for my "Move Junk" button in Thunderbird, then read on.
If you haven’t watched the video, this article describes how
to add custom toolbar buttons to Thunderbird using the
Custom Buttons addon. more>>
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Create a Custom Transitioning Background for Your Gnome 2.28 Desktop
Feb 15th
While test-driving the new Gnome 2.28 desktop, I was surprised to see that
among the default backgrounds, there was a "Cosmos" slide-show of several
cosmic pictures of space that regularly transition on your desktop.
While I had used this feature in the past when using KDE, I was not aware of
how to create my own slide-show backgrounds in Gnome. By examining how the
Cosmos slide-show works, I figured out how to create my own custom
slide-show backgrounds. Read on and find out to create your own
custom desktop background. more>>
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Tech Tip: Add Latitude/Longitude Information to Photos
Feb 14th
I wanted to store geolocation information in the photos I take with my
digital camera. That way I wouldn’t have to specify the photo locations
manually when I upload them to the Picasa webpage. Since my
camera doesn’t have built in GPS support, I wrote this script to add the
location information to the pictures when they are on the computer already. more>>
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Tech Tip: Periodically Update Your MOTD with update-motd
Feb 14th
This tech tip provides you with information on how to customize your
motd (Message Of The Day) message to display the output of one or more scripts.
This uses the update-motd package, which updates the motd message when run.
I use this method on Ubuntu 9.10, but not all systems provide this
package so extra effort may be required to use it on other systems. more>>
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Custom Transitioning Backgrounds In KDE3
Feb 13th
My recent article about transitioning slide show backgrounds in
GNOME garnered quite a bit of attention, so here’s my first reminder of how
to do the same thing in other desktop environments.
This one will show you how to create a custom slide show backgrounds in KDE3. more>>
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